Travel news and deals of interest to YOU from around the Web compiled and edited by NoDebtWorldTravel.com

If you know any great travel stories or tips we all should read, please send it to me and I will put an acknowledgment of your contribution in the posting.

Frequent Flyer Miles for Dummies

Frequent flyer mile programs can be intimidating if you don’t know where to start. Perhaps the best way to begin is by signing up with the airline you fly the most. Real simple isn’t it? Then you branch out from there. Credit cards that give you more miles, hotels that have partner relationships with the airlines, etc.

The Most Expensive Airport To Fly Out Of Is…

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) wins the prize, if you want to call it that, of the most expensive airport to fly out of. Which is why I always tells folks to look for airports nearby when pricing tickets. Kennnedy (JFK) or LaGuardia (LGA) are close options for Newark. Maybe even the airport in Philadelphia (PHL) if you are close enough.

Travel Video of the Week
Loading a Train outside of Yangon, Myanmar

And you thought your commute was bad? What about boarding a train..while it is still moving!?

The Seven ‘Deadly’ Airline Fees

The airline fees as compared to Greed, Lust, Gluttony, etc. Interesting analogy.

20 Ways to Get Out of a Travel Rut

Some people love traveling to the SAME place every year, even to the point of staying in the same hotel room. If room 302 is not available even though they have stayed there the past 5 years they are disappointed. I think I would go crazy if I was forced to do that. Some quick (and some not quick) ways that you can bust out of your travel rut.

What are the Top Items Most Often Left in Hotel Rooms?

The last thing I do before I leave a hotel room to check out – check underneath the bed and give the bathroom a once over. Otherwise I live out of my carry-on. The hotel is temporary so I don’t get too comfortable. Are you spending most of your time in the hotel room?

Free cruise contest roundup

Win a cruise, step right up and win a cruise here…

Don’t get scammed! 4 cons that target travelers – and how to spot them

Even the most experienced traveler can be taken. The most blatant is the squirting mustard on you and then the helpful passerby who comes to help who are actually there to pickpocket you. Don’t take any help if someone just runs up to you and squirts a condiment on you.

The 9 Best Places To Have A Cup Of Coffee Around The World (PHOTOS)

My Ethiopian coffee ceremony was alot of fun and I have a great appreciation for coffee now. First time I could drink a cup of coffee black with just a little sugar. Havana would be another place to get a good cup of joe. When I will be able to get there as an American is a whole other question…

Best Travel Deals and News – February 8, 2011 – How to Get Started with Frequent Flyer Miles, Get Out of Your Travel Rut, Win a Free Cruise, Where to Travel to Get Coffee is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Travel news and deals of interest to YOU from around the Web compiled and edited by NoDebtWorldTravel.com

If you know any great travel stories or tips we all should read, please send it to me and I will put an acknowledgment of your contribution in the posting.

7 Annoying Airlines Fees Actually Worth Paying This Holiday Travel Season
You’ll have a hard time convincing me that any additional fee is good to pay. Maybe the extra legroom on a long haul flight is worthwhile. But why would you pay extra to get OFF the flight first? I like to get on first when departing to make sure I can get my carry-on in an overhead bin near me.

What’s the No. 1 killer of U.S. travelers when they go abroad?

I always recommend NOT renting a car and driving in a foreign country. For most of us it is just not worth it. And while you may have dreams of driving through the French or English countryside or the Australian outback, why deal with the hassle of navigating new roads, driving on the ‘wrong’ side and deciphering signs in a foreign language?

Travel Video of the Week
Pilot Refuses Full-Body Scan

I don’t understand what his problem is. You refuse the full-body machine. Fine. But why refuse the pat-down? You have to do one or the other. I hate people who hide behind this whole “our rights are being taken away”. Everybody gets the full treatment. I guess this guy wants to lose his job. The TSA is not going to change policy for him.

Ethiopia enthralls with rich history abundant wildlife

One of those places off the radar that is on no one’s list, but one of the best stops on my round the world trip. Missed those posts? Here’s one. And other one. And one more.

The Tricks and Trials of Traveling While Fat

I love this author’s good nature and humor about his status as an overweight traveler being in a “normal” person’s world. I truly appreciate his situation and cringe at his being embarrassed, both accidentally and intentionally.

BUT…

Having been squeezed in transportation next to a large person, they should be required to buy two seats. Period. Being mashed against a window or arm rest because the person next to you overflows into your seat is not the way you want to spend a flight, bus or train trip.

How to avoid bedbugs when you’re in a hotel

Bedbugs are becoming the new four letter word of travel. Here in New York City, pricey hotels like the Waldorf are being accused of harboring the little buggers and they are showing up in retail stores like the big Niketown retail store off of 5th Avenue. The best you can do is have your own little inspection when you enter your accommodations. You may want to spray down your bedding if you’re really paranoid about it.

Q&A: New York City on a Tight Budget

NYC is my town. And I’d love for you to come by and visit. So use these tips and and drop by.

Just remember to stay to the right when you’re walking down the sidewalk and stay out of the way of New Yorkers who walk at warp speed.

Best Credit Cards for Travelers

A good analysis of credit cards that keep more money in your pocket, not take it out. There is alot to think about when you choose the plastic, so read on to get some ideas on what to look for.

It’s OK. Don’t feel guilty… How to AVOID Children While Traveling

This is one of those things people won’t say aloud but you’re thinking it. You see the little 3 year old run down the aisle of the plane screaming and you’re praying she and her family don’t sit near you. Or you’re walking to the hotel’s pool, see a family of five with the kids splashing around and you search for another pool where you can relax in peace. Don’t feel bad. Some of us love kids but don’t want to deal with them on vacation. Some of us are parents and don’t won’t to deal with other people’s kids on vacation!

50 secrets your pilot won’t tell you

Great read! Do you know what blue juice, landing lips, spinners and a “George” is? Find out the airline lingo and other things the pilots talk about in this interesting article.

Ditch the Guidebook: 8 Alternative Trip Planning Resources

Related to the discussion about guidebooks going the way of the dodo bird. If that’s the case then what are people using to plan their trips? The answer is heavily related to the Internet and our phones, in particular our smartphones. Blackberry, iPhones and Android are revolutionizing every thing they touch and that definitely includes travel.

8 Signs That You’re a Too Cheap Traveler

I saw this and thought about my post about my hotel in Cambodia and me getting annoyed over $1. Some of you thought it was good that I was standing up for myself, some of you thought I was a cheap bastard.

Best Travel Deals and News – October 26, 2010 – Pay The Airline Fees, How Not To Die When Traveling Abroad, Visit Ethiopia, Traveling While Fat is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Travel news and deals of interest to YOU from around the Web compiled and edited by NoDebtWorldTravel.com

If you know any great travel stories or tips we all should read, please send it to me and I will put an acknowledgment of your contribution in the posting.

My First Flight

So do you remember your first time? You were nervous. You didn’t know what to expect. I’m not talking about THAT first time, but your first flight. I can’t remember mine, but I’m pretty sure it was to the Caribbean. The one flight I do remember from my childhood was when we hit severe turbulenace and people were screaming and luggage was dropping from the overhead. Thankfully that didn’t scar me for life and prevent me from flying. Maybe that made me want to travel more. Maybe I thought it was a fun amusement ride. Ah, the innocence of babes…

GetSetApp
Referred by loyal reader Karen

You may actually assume that one method of transportation is automatically cheaper than the other. Even if you didn’t there was no easy way to compare prices…until now. GetSet is a US based product that still looks early in its development, but has the potential to really allow you to compare all of your options, and not just compare airline to airline. Does renting a car or taking Greyhound make more sense? Sometimes it does.

The site does not seem to fully support the bus option yet, but I’m sure that will come along at some point.

Travel Video of the Week
Indie Travel Podcast – Ghent, Belgium
Out friends at the Indie Travel Podcast post video all the time and this one is a short piece on Ghent. You may not have heard of it and if you haven’t it’s a nice intro to the city. Enjoy!

10 Common RTW Planning Mistakes

The biggest planning mistake: thinking that you can’t afford it. Once you get up and start looking and realize that most anyone can buy a round the world ticket, these other tips will help you maximize the time and money you do have.

Strategies to Stretch Your Dollar in South America

South America is not as INexpensive as you think. Large cities and large distances over rough terrain means that the continent is not as cheap as Southeast Asia. But as with everything else, if you do enough research there is a way around everything. This article compiles some of that information for you.

Even McDonald’s is getting annoyed by airline fees

When large Fortune 500 corporations say they don’t like fees because they can’t accurately and manage travel costs, what does that mean for the average traveler on a limited budget who doesn’t have billions of dollars of revenue behind them?

10 great travel freebies around the world

From Amsterdam to Rio to Chicago, free stuff around the world for you to do.

Free Admission to Museums Nationwide

If you’re in the States, take advantage of what happens in London and the rest of the UK all the time: free access to museums. This will be only one day – September 25. For instance in New York City, the Intrepid, the Queens Botanical Garden, the Studio Museum in Harlem and South Street Seaport Museum as well as many others will be free for one day.

8 Reasons For a Family World Trip

Round the world travel or long term travel is mostly seen as a solo/single person trip. But what if you’re a couple with kids? Is this out the realm for you? Certainly not and the Soultravelers are living proof of that. They are a married couple with a pre-teen daughter that has been on the road continuously for 5 years. Their tips on why you should do it may apply to you.

Tips for surviving long haul flights with young children

More with kids. When drugging your kids is not an options, try some of these suggestions.

Learn to Shoot Photos in Low Light

We want the best shots in less than ideal conditions for taking photos. Here are some ideas on how to do that. Note that this does not mean that you must buy a super expenisve camera. Your camera that has served you well over the years is probably just fine. It may mean you need to use the many features you probably aren’t using now. Put your camera model number in a search engine and look for the operating manual. You’ll probably discover some things you may have never realized.

Top 10 Health and Beauty Tips for Travelers

One of the most interesting things: For my fair skinned friends, wear your UV protection not only at the beach at your tropical destination, but also on the airplane at 35,000 feet up. You’re getting a direct dose of sun and airplane windows don’t completely protect you from ultraviolet light. Wash your hands, drink water, try to get sleep and you’re halfway to staying upright and out of the way of hospitals when you travel.

The world’s least expensive cities in 2010

I can personally vouch for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A full service sitdown lunch/dinner for 3 can be $10-15. You’re not getting steak and lobster but you are getting a full belly, which is more important than a fancy pants meal when you’re traveling. Use that money for something else.

Illegal Wildlife Trade: 11 Of The Dumbest Animal Smugglers (PHOTOS)

Is it really worth stuffing snakes or birds down your pants? The potential payoff does not seem to be worth the potential jail time.

How To Make Money While You Travel

Difficult but certainly not impossible. Read on if you’re planning on not coming home or want to travel as long as you can.

Pop-Tarts Store Pops Up in NYC

Times Square used to be a den of seedy shops and women offering ‘a good time’. Now better known as the home of national chain restaurants, street vendors hawking wares (legally or illegally) and tickets for tours and Broadways show, it adds one more attraction. I would not even call this odd because this is New York after all.

Best Travel Deals and News – September 21, 2010 – Your First Time on a Flight, Round the World Planning Mistakes, Stretching Your Money in South America is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

This is the place where I got the most Scooby Doo “HUH?” looks when I told people I was going there.

When you hear the word ETHIOPIA, what do you think of?

Flies buzzing around the faces of starving people. Famine. Disease.

As someone told me when I was there, “We appreciated ‘We Are the World’. But now that’s what everyone thinks of us.”

I went to Ethiopia because I knew there was a side I had not seen, beyond all the television images. Don’t get me wrong. There is definitely poverty and hunger there. But that does not make up the entire country. Or even the majority of the country for that matter.

Addis Ababa looks like any other large city. Lots of cafes and restaurants. And they are full of people enjoying a snack and some coffee. You’ll see donkeys walking the streets, mud paths that serve as roads, and other signs that this is still a developing nation. I hate the phrase “third world”.

But what pictures don’t portray are the culture of a nation. More importantly the pride and respect that people carry themselves with. Even with poverty prevalent, violent crime is very low.

Never take the images on TV at face value. There is ALWAYS another side you don’t see. Matter of fact, there are MULTIPLE sides you don’t see. It’s up to you to decide to go seek it out.

Second, to those of us who are citizens of the West, especially to my fellow Americans…

As much as we like to down and criticize our country, we are STILL the dream to many in the rest of the world.

No Uncle Sam, they want you more than you want them…trust me, I know

No matter how many images of American flag burnings and hanging presidents in effigy you see, there are 10 more people dying to get to American shores. Some quite literally dying before they get there.

The most important thing I carry with me when I travel: My American citizenship

Doors open. Service becomes better. The weight of United States of America is behind you. You become instant marriage material…

Bonus for me: My President-elect looks like me.

Never take that for granted at home or abroad.

I know I never will again.

As for Sarena, I love this photo of us, right before I left Addis Ababa. It’s fun, it’s serious, it’s cute, it’s stylish. If anyone from Calvin Klein, GQ, or Vogue is reading, contact me. I’m sure she’s up for a photo shoot.

We could be a couple just starting out…
Or sent back by Skynet to find John Connor!

Do you realize I’ve been in London almost two weeks and I’ve hardly talked about it? That changes with the next blog post. I’ve got loyal readers to shout out.

Wrapping Up Ethiopia is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Saturday Sarena was nowhere to be found, but don’t worry…

Alem takes to me to the Merkato, where everything possible product can be bought and sold in Addis Ababa. Fruits, vegetables, meat, toiletries, basically one giant Wal-Mart with different stalls covering a square mile or two.

After lunch we then went to a lounge where they use a hookah and chew chat (qat) . The hookah is not used to smoke tobacco but sweet smelling herbs. Chat is almost like chewing tobacco, without being tobacco. I didn’t indulge in either because that is not my thing. But the mellow vibe was great. Just 8 folks on a Saturday night in Addis Ababa, intermittently talking about life, Obama, politics, the world economy, the USA, Ethiopia.

Woinitu shows up at the lounge, we start talking and within 10 minutes she decides to take me dancing. Me, I had no plans for the night and Alem is still on duty so we jump in the taxi and drive.

No marriage proposals from Woinitu

We end up first at a restaurant with a live band. We eat enjera of course, have a few drinks and dance for a little bit there.

Then Woinitu takes us to a club called Harlem Jazz – on Reggae night! So we dance the night away until about 3am.

From a guy who had no plans for the evening I sure had a full one.

Since we didn’t leave the club until late I call Alem to meet me at 1PM on Sunday. I run downstairs to talk to Elham and take some pictures.

As I’m getting my camera I run into one of the workers at the hotel.

You’re leaving!? Oh we’ll miss you!

Ok I’ll take your pictures too.

And so that how I hung out with them for an hour, getting an impromptu Ethiopian coffee ceremony, taking more pictures and getting more marriage proposals.

Seems that all the girls were talking about me. Some wanted to go to Las Vegas, Canada. One offered jokingly said that she was small enough to fit in a suitcase. No need to buy a ticket.

At least I THINK she was joking…Nope she wasn’t joking…

Elham (in black) and the lovely women of Addis Guest House

The coffee ceremony involves drinking 3 cups of coffee. Sometimes music, sometimes snack with it. Ethiopian coffee is so nice I learned to drink it black, no sugar, no cream.

Pretty smiles all around!

Who Loves Ya Baby? Apparently…Everyone. is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

The second day with Alem he said his friend was going to join us. I’m thinking OK, I like meeting new people. Let’s see who shows up..

Sarena does not speak much English, but has a big smile on her face. I had the postcards in my hand to mail out. She looks thru them and comments on them. We head over to the post office to mail them.

We are in the taxi about 5 minutes on the way to the post office, Sarena is in the back seat. She says something to Alem, who proceeds to bust up laughing.

ME: What did she say?
ALEM: She says she is going to marry YOU!

Hold that thought and flashback a day with me…

When I first got to Addis Guest House, remember Elham, the receptionist?

When she was showing me the room I was going to stay in we were talking…

ME: Elham, have you ever been to New York?
ELHAM: No.
ME: You should go, you would like it.
ELHAM: Well if you sent me a green card I could go.

In case you didn’t realize, the only way to get a green card if you are not already related, get married.

At that moment I thought it was a chick in a half empty hotel flirting with the American to get a sale and I laughed. Elham you are funny! You got jokes…

But now I know. It was way more serious than joke!

Back to Sarena, she spent the whole day with us. We did a tour in Toto, another historical Christian church on the outskirts of Addis Ababa.

We had a lunch of enjera, which is the national dish in Ethiopia. It is a large, flat ‘pancake’ made of cornmeal, flour that is about the size of large pizza pie. On top you have beef, chicken, lamb, goat. You eat with your hands. No knives, spoons or forks. You pull a piece of the enjera and then grab a piece of meat with the enjera and then pop it in your mouth. Very good and quite filling.

Later that night Alem takes Sarena (oh yeah, she’s still with me) and I to a traditional Ethiopian cultural restaurant.

They serve enjera and perform traditional Ethiopian dances and plays. The place was packed on a Friday night and we had a great time eating and watching the performance. You don’t always understand what’s going on, but you can appreciate the passion they bring every time the performers retell stories of their culture.

Alem dropped myself and Sarena home. And tomorrow a whole new person would shape my time in Addis…

Meeting New Friends…And Marriage Proposals! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

So I messed up my reservation in Addis and could not stay where I originally planned. I spent the night there and then a taxi cab driver drove me to a few hostels/hotels I had fortunately written down back in Cape Town.

The first one was the oldest hotel in Addis…and it showed. I could have gotten a private room for about $20US a night. Not bad, but I felt like checking out another place.

Which brought me to Addis Guest House. A newer looking hotel, the room rate was $40US a night. Kind of steep compared to what I’m used to paying. But it was centrally located, had free laundry service, free breakfast delivered to your room and…the hook for me…free Internet access in the room. They took $2 off so I paid $38 a night. I pulled my bag out the taxi and settled in.

The first day there I didn’t do much of anything. I stayed in my room and ordered in. Internet access was somewhere between nonexistant and poor the entire time I was there.

When I was ready to get out and meet Addis Ababa on Thursday the receptionist, Elham, had a cab driver that she trusted and would take me around when I ready to get going. More about Elham later…

Alem is the reason I had a great time in Addis. I hired his car for 400 birr ($40US) a day. He became my driver, translator and tour guide for the next 5 days. That is an incredible deal if you ask me.

The Lada was so old that when we went down a particularly steep hill, we had to stop and Alem had to get bottles of water to pour over the wheelbase to manually cool the brakes.

Alem spent almost 20 years in the US in DC and Arizona before returning to Africa. He’s actually from neighboring Eritrea, but settled in Ethiopia.

The reason I liked him immediately and trusted him: He would always reference old school hip hop. Since he was in the States in the late 80s, we would be driving along and he would suddenly bust out with:

“I’m the overweight lover HeavyD”
“I go to work, like a doctor…”

How can you not dig a cat who references HeavyD and the Boyz, Kool Moe Dee, and Public Enemy and other hip hop and R&B from the “golden age”. I knew I was going to have fun with him.

Since it was Christmas Day, he took me to one of the most famous Christian churches in all of Ethiopia, the Holy Trinity Cathedral. It was finished in 1931 under the direction of Haileselassie I, the ruler of Ethiopia at the time.

It is only fitting that since I was at a wedding in Siem Reap, that I would end up in the middle of a funeral in Addis. We were stuck in the parking lot for about an hour as the ceremony ended at the church and people got in their cars and drove away.

No two things are more universal across cultures than weddings and funerals. Celebration and laughter at weddings, sorrow and wails of grief at funerals…

The first day with Alem ended with me seeing a lot of Addis.

You won’t believe what happened next…trust me, it gets better…till the next post!

How to Find a Taxi Driver in Africa? Ask Him Who the Overweight Lover Is! is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Ethiopia started out great, turned sour for a moment and then was fantastic the rest of the way.

While in Cape Town I made reservations at a place in Addis Ababa that was highly rated.

At least I THOUGHT I made reservations…

I was suppose to reply to the confirmation email I received. I glanced through the email and didn’t read it completely, thinking it was confirmed.

When I got to the airport, the guest house was suppose to pick me up. When they didn’t show I had to take a taxi there.

Where they were surprised to see me, because they gave my room away when I didn’t respond to the email.

Completely my fault. I didn’t read the whole email.

But it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me….

Ethiopia, From Worst to First is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

Oh Ethiopia…

Crazy, crazy fun.

Back online everyone and wishing you Happy New Year in advance.

Got so much to report on Ethiopia and currently in London for New Year’s with family.

Ethiopia’s Internet connections were slow to begin with. Then I heard that there was a fiber cut somewhere, knocking out service.

Taking me out of my regular blog schedule. But it was good to not have to blog because it gave me time to think about where to go and what to post up on the blog.

Pics coming soon!

London, I Am Here is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel

This is the first time in days I’ve had a decent Internet connection to update the blog…so I’M BACK!

Happy Belated Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa to everyone! I hope your holidays are going well.

While you were drinking egg nog (spiked hopefully) and carving up turkeys (moist and tender hopefully), I was traveling to Ethiopia. Yep, I’ve been in Addis Ababa since Christmas Eve.

South Africa was only a week-long excursion. Had I stayed longer I could have easily blown mounds of cash, so much to do. Wonderful people and cheap good food.

So if you don’t hear from me on the blog, everything is cool. I’ll be in London next week so I can get everything updated.

And the postcards from Ethiopia are going out as soon as this blog is posted. I know that’s what folks really want to hear about…

A Quick Note from East Africa is a post from: NoDebtWorldTravel